Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-07-29

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people claim that not enough of the waste from homes is recycled. They say that the only way to increase recycling is for governments to make it a legal requirement.

To what extent do you think laws are needed to make people recycle more of their waste?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Nowadays, recycling of household waste has become a major issue. In this regard some people believe that legal laws should be imposed on the public to ensure waste management while others argue that it can be complemented by other measures. I agree to some extent with this notion due to many reasons which I will outline in the forthcoming fragments with logical reasoning.

To begin with, there are a few merits of introducing laws to make recycling of household waste a legal requirement. Firstly, fines and penalties. To explain, people or households ignoring or not practicing waste recycling can be fined accordingly to ensure waste management. As a result, due to fear of fines people would start taking recycling seriously which will preserve and sustain the environment. But there are some drawbacks of this notion which are discussed further.

Undoubtedly, relying solely on law and its legal actions will outlook the need of basic manners, education and public engagement in the matter of domestic waste recycling. For example, the must have manners will be ignored due to legal requirements and it will result in illegal dumping of waste instead of correct recycling. Moreover, introduction of separate bins and regular collection of domestic waste can encourage the population to manage and recycle the waste. Furthermore, offering incentives. To elaborate, if people are able to receive benefits in the form of money or any other means, there will be a huge increase in the area or field of waste management and it will directly result in public awareness.

To conclude, even though there are few benefits of the former notion like fear of punishment but the endless merits of introduction of legal requirements completely outweigh them in every mean. Thus, other reasons described early will be more effective than imposing law and result in overall promotion of sustainable waste management along with recycling.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. You acknowledge the potential benefits of legal requirements while arguing that alternative measures are more effective. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. For instance, the argument regarding 'basic manners' is vague and lacks a clear explanation of how legal requirements would cause 'illegal dumping'. While you provide relevant examples like separate bins and incentives, the conclusion is slightly confusing; you state that the 'merits of introduction of legal requirements completely outweigh them', which contradicts your earlier argument that other measures are better. To improve, ensure your conclusion aligns clearly with your main body arguments and expand on the 'why' behind your points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, each with a clear central topic. You use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Undoubtedly', and 'Furthermore' to link ideas. However, some transitions are a bit mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For example, the transition from the discussion of fines to the drawbacks in the second paragraph is abrupt. Additionally, the referencing in the final paragraph is slightly unclear, as the phrase 'former notion' is used in a way that makes the conclusion's stance on legal requirements ambiguous. Improving the variety of cohesive devices and ensuring clear logical progression between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'waste management', 'sustainable', and 'incentives' appropriately. There are some instances of slightly unnatural word choices, such as 'legal laws' (which is redundant) and 'outlook the need' (where 'overlook' was likely intended). You also use the phrase 'in every mean', which is not a standard collocation. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding redundant phrasing. While your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, incorporating more sophisticated or less common lexical items would help demonstrate a wider range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many sentences are clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For example, 'I agree to some extent with this notion due to many reasons which I will outline' is a bit clunky, and 'the must have manners will be ignored' is grammatically awkward. There are also minor issues with article usage and preposition choice. Despite these errors, your meaning remains clear, and the grammar does not impede communication. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and refining the structure of complex sentences to ensure they are error-free.

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